Conventional foundations for structures, such as wind turbines, generally include large, thick, concrete footings that include reinforcing meshes formed of reinforcement members, such as rebar. Traditionally the foundations have a square or rectangular cross section and the rebar is installed orthogonally to provide proper support for the structure supported by the foundation. The installation of the rebar is complex and generally requires assembling at least two layers of reinforcing meshes that are vertically separated between two feet and six feet apart from one another and that span the entire area of the foundation. The rebar included in these foundations must be installed using precise geometric layouts and spacing between each section of rebar to achieve the desired reinforcement of the concrete that will eventually surround the rebar. The installation of rebar having these precise geometric layouts and spacing is labor intensive, time-consuming, and requires a large number of well-trained laborers. If the rebar is not installed properly, the foundation can crack or become unfit to support the load being applied by the structure supported by the foundation.
Some foundations include radially configured reinforcing meshes formed of rebar. However, these foundations present challenges because they require multiple vertically stacked layers of reinforcing meshes, which adds complexity, time, expense, and creates a reinforcement structure that does not provide an efficient transfer of forces across the center of the foundation.
A need exists, therefore, for improved reinforcement assemblies, fixtures, and related methods.